BALTIMORE —Maryland officials have been considering introducing a tax on vehicle miles traveled as an encouragement, of sorts, to cut emissions. The WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team asked the candidates for governor where they stand on the issue.
It's not easy to find common ground among the top three Democrats running for governor until you ask whether they support the idea of a new tax known as the vehicles miles traveled.
The proposal is intended to cut vehicle emissions in that the more you drive, the more you'd pay. Other states are close to implementing the tax. Volunteers in Oregon will have meters installed next year and will pay 1.5 cents a mile instead of a state gas tax.
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Your meter might break, or my speed sensor might break, or my GPS might fail.
ReplyDeleteToo bad.
This idea is just plain stupid. So the Democrats will hire 10 thousand State thugs to visit all Maryland vehicles on Dec. 30th and check your odometer. Can we dumb down Marylander's any farther?
ReplyDeleteIf it moves, tax it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThere is already a vehicle miles tax; you pay it every time you buy fuel!
Unless you're an electric car freeloader. And we know those vehicles are pristine since all their energy comes from the fluttering of butterfly wings!
If this is to be a Maryland law, then would the miles that are driven while in another state be exempt? If you take a drive to Florida, why should those miles be charged.
ReplyDeleteImagine if we could charge politicians a tax for every stupid idea they came up with.
This about this...
ReplyDeleteOn the rural edges of the state, you have to drive a lot more to get to your destination. Go 30 miles in 40 minutes, and you'd pay $0.45 in tax.
In the middle, you can spend an hour commuting 10-15 miles. Since your car never moves, you don't pay a tax while you're idling. Spend an hour driving, and you'd pay $0.15 in tax.
Besides screwing us more, there's also the whole "big brother" aspect. You know that GPS data is going to be used against you in the future.
And keep an eye on the trend. There's a huge push towards eliminating your ability to travel. "Sustainable communities" that pack you in like sardines and make owning a car unnecessary (i mean unaffordable). Taxing you by the mile. High cost toll roads. Car sharing schemes.
You know who else wasn't able to travel freely throughout the land? SERFS!